PLATE TECTONICS Flashcards
What is the lithosphere?
The lithosphere is he solid, outer layer of the Earth that consists of the crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle.
What is the asthenosphere?
The asthenosphere is the soft layer of the mantle on which the tectonic plates move.
What is the mesosphere?
The mesosphere is the strong, lower part of the mantle between the asthenosphere and the outer core.
What is the inner core?
The inner core is the solid, dense center of our planet that extends from the bottom of the outer core to the center of the Earth, which is about 6,380 km beneath the surface.
What is the outer core?
The Earth’s core is divided into two parts—the outer core and the inner core. The outer core is the liquid layer of Earth’s core that lies beneath the mantle and surrounds the inner core.
What are seismic waves?
Seismic waves are waves of energy that travel through the Earth, away from an earthquake in all directions.
What is the oceanic crust?
Oceanic crust belongs to the ocean floor.
What is the continental crust?
Continental crust belongs to a continent.
What is density?
Density is the ratio of the mass of the substance to the volume of the substance.
Who is Alfred Wegener?
Alfred Wegener came up with the idea of continental drift.
What is continental drift?
Continental drift is the hypothesis that states that the continents once formed a single landmass, broke up, and drifted to their present locations.
What is the convergent boundary?
The convergent boundary is the boundary formed by the collision of two lithospheric plates.
What is the divergent boundary?
The divergent boundary is the boundary between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.
What is the transform boundary?
The transform boundary is the boundary between two tectonic plates that are sliding past each other horizontally.
What is sea-floor spreading?
Sea floor spreading is the process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms as magma rises toward the surface and solidifies.
